China diaries: Gao Daya

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My name is Gao Daya.  I am in Grade Two at the Beijing University Primary School.  I’m seven-and-a-half years old.

To you, what is the environment?

In the forest, there is a smell of wood, but things are different here in the city.  There is the noise of cars everywhere, and also the environment is very bad.  There are a lot of dirty things in the air that are bad for our health.

What do you do to protect the environment?

In my house, when the light is on but no one needs it, I turn it off.  When someone washes their hands, they have to turn off the tap first before using the soap.  When someone takes a shower, they have to turn off the water right after washing, to prevent wasting water.  In Beijing, people throw away most of the things they use.  For example, when we make paper-covers for textbooks, some students usually throw away the left-over paper.  In fact, we can use it up next semester.

When I see other students throwing away used paper, I pick it up, put it into the garbage bin, and tell them not to throw it away.  We shouldn’t throw away plastic bottles after drinking.  You can collect them and give them to garbage collectors for recycling.  We should save electricity, save water, recycle more and drive less.  My mother often says: ‘Hey, we should buy a car.’  But I’m the first to challenge this. 

Interviewer: Why?  Give me a reason. 

Gao Daya: Because the things that cars emit contribute to air pollution.  We shouldn’t buy cars and drive cars.  We should take the bus or taxi instead.